Re: Positioning Priyadarsi

From: tgpedersen
Message: 59521
Date: 2008-07-10

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "kishore patnaik"
<kishorepatnaik09@...> wrote:
>
> >
> > You are reading my mail out of context.

The context doesn't change the sense of what you said one bit.


> > I hope you will go back and read the entire thread.

No need, I've already read it.


> I am sure I have never intended to say that the entire group is
> racits, leave alone the entire Europe.

That's right, you said part of it was.


> I do not know what sustained vested interests you have in raking
> up issues out of context.

One of your telescoped, mutually contradictory statements again.
My interest, sustained, vested or otherwise is to see to it that I am
not immolated and that the social group I belong to isn't either.

The context bit I've already commented on.

> What is your stand?

On the ground, mostly.

> Do you support racism?

Mostly I think the concept should be abolished. It's fuzzy around the
edges and since everyone acts to some degree in his perceived group
interest,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vested_interest
it is mostly impossible to defend oneself against an accusation of
racism. But as long as it is permissible to use it, I want it to be
applied consistently to all groups.


> Do you think that Europeans or for that matter any subsection of
> population of this planet are by default superior to any
> subsection?

Not morally superior, not a priori at least ('by default' as you
omprecisely put it). In other respects, you can read more about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IQ_and_the_Wealth_of_Nations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IQ_and_Global_Inequality
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bell_Curve

Then there are other more intangible factors, such as social capital,
which basically translates to trust between the members of the
society, which in turn depends on the honesty of those members towards
each other.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowling_Alone
According to some recent survey three in four Danes trust other
people, in Brazil eg. it's less than one in twenty.


> If so, why should that be??

Some people have speculated that the cold climate forced people in the
north to cooperate and to trust each other, or perish. But nothing is
known for certain.


Torsten